Improvement in photographic-printing frames



w. L. RAY. rnowoemrmc PRINTIHG-FRAMES.

Patented m. 10, 1876.

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UNITED $TATES PATENT Osmon- THOMASL. RAY, or BELVIDERE, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN PHOTOGRAPHlC-PRINTING FRAMES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 183,022, dated October10, 1876 application filed October 10, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS L. BAY, of Belvidere, Boone county, Illinois,have invented a Photographic-Printing Frame, of which the following is aspecification The object of my invention is to produce in the same frameat one time an indefinite number of sun-pictures from negatives ofdifferent persons, or negatives taken on separate glasses, which may beof the same or of different intensity with the same amount of exposureto light, the said pictures to be finished on separate cards, by thecombination, in a photographic-printing frame, of, first, theequalizing-media O O, as shown in Fig. 2, consisting of oiled papers,stained glass, tracingmuslin, or other media of different thicknesses ordensity, and substantially the same, for retarding the light of'theleastintense negatives, or increasing the light of the most intensenegatives, by means of condensing-lenses 0 said equalizing-media beingheld between the light and sensitive paper or over the negative by meansof the movable frame V, or its equivalent, as shown in Fig. 2, using therequired amount of said equaliELng-media to give each picture the samedegree of actinic light.

It will be evident that the light may be retarded by using varnishes ofdifferent colors on either side of the negatives or varnishes thatproduce a ground-glass surface, or by grinding the surface of the glass5 and the light may be increased by using reflectors with the sameresult also, the equal printing may be secured by retarding the light onall of the least intense negatives, or the light may be increased on allof the most intense with the same result.

The movable frame V surrounds the aperture H in frame F, through whichthe actinic light passes to the negative N, is held firmly to the frameF by spring S said spring being fastened in the cross-piece of frame F.The frame F is provided with cross-pieces the width of one picture, theoutside pieces also the same width. The negatives always being largerthan the picture required, the size'of each picture is marked on eachnegative exactly where the light is wanted to pass through. Thenegatives are fixed in rows across the frame, on the other side from themovable frame V or opposite to it, the long way of the picture. Thesensitive paper is used in strips long enough to cover one row ofnegatives and one picture more, or it extends from A to E, as shown inFig. 3. The cross-pieces and picture being the same Width, it will beseen that just one-half of the sensitive paper will be used at oneexposure, printing D and E. The paper is then drawn from E to U, and theother half used at another exposure. Where the glass that the picture ison is two or three times as large as the picture wanted, or where thereare two or more pictureson the same glass,-it will be necessary to makethe crosspieces wider and separate the negatives enough to leave two ormore pieces of sensitive paper between the negatives, just the size ofthe picture wanted also, for printing pictures of different sizes in thesame frame, the cross-pieces should be made adj ustable and in twopieces of the same length and thickness. Then they may be separated tomake any sized picture.

Another advantage in printing two pictures from each negative on acontinuous strip of sensitive paper, or printing with the negativesseparated, is that it allows room on the other side of frame F to adjustthe equalizing-media and for the movable frame V and spring S thesensitive paper being held firmly to negatives by means of flexiblestrip 1?, provided with block L and spring S The flexible strip P coversthe whole piece of sensitive paper. The block L covers the piecedirectly over the negative. The block L is provided with aconvexo-concave spring, S reaching far enough above the negative toreceive pressure from the cover K; also, in order to see whole pictureduring the printing, and adjust the actinic light of each picture, thesensitive paper is held between each negative by bar B, as shown in Fig.5, provided with springs convexo-concave, to press equally against eachpiece of sensitive paper, and held at each end.

The cover K, with hinge in center for examining one-half of the pictureswhile printing, is used for pressure on block L, with spring for holdingsensitive paper in contact with negative N. lt is held first at one endby-buttons X X, and the other end is pressed down with levers 0 0, saidlevers being attached to frame F with hinge I, and secured under claspT, as shown 'in Fig. 3. The frame vF is hung by thumb-screws, for thepurpose of fastening it when at the proper angle with the sun, uponvertical standards S S, as shown in Fig.1, said standard being fastenedin a horizontal frame, provided with wheels W W. This arrangement givesthe frame a vertical and h0rizontal rotary motion, which arrangementserves two purposes, namely, convenience in turning the frame whileinserting the negatives, and adjusting the sensitive paper and mediaused to equalize the actinic light. It also permits the surfaces of thenegatives to be easily kept perpendicular to the suns rays.

I claim as my invention- 1. The process of printing an indefinite numberof sun-pictures from negatives of different intensity at one time and atthe same exposure .to light, substantially as described.

2. The method of securing the equal printing of pictures inprinting-that is, by retarding the light on all of the least intensenegatives or increasing the light on all of the most intense, or byretarding the light on the least intense and increasing the light on themost intense, by means of equalizing-media and condensing-lenses,substantially as set forth.

3. The method of printing'one picture from each negative in theprinting-frame on a continuous piece of sensitive paper, and leaving anindefinite number of pieces of sensitive paper between the negativesjust the size of the pictures already printed, substantially asdescribed.

4. The method of pressing the sensitive paper in contact with negativein the printingframe by means of the flexible strip P, with block L andspring S and the cover K,-when constructed, combined, and arranged tooperate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. As a new process, the printing of an indefinite number of pictures atone time and in the same frame of different persons or from negatives ofthe sameintensity, taken on separate glasses, when said pictures arefinished on separate cards, substantially as set forth.

T.-L. RAY.

Witnesses:

' A. E. JENNER, J. DW. RAY.

